Member Blog

Starting a moving business is pretty easy! You don’t need a lot to start and there are virtually no investments needed. But you do have to get yourself a van or a truck and a few people as your staff. Nevertheless, this is just a first step as in order for you to be successful, you need to have a favorable marketing campaign for your business. It does not matter how good or professional you are, nobody will know it unless you advertise. Making a sound marketing strategy and throwing your name into the mix of competitors is the main point you have to do. Before you start your moving business you have to determine how people are going to reach you.

There are a lot of moving companies already existing in London. There is a great need for them as people are constantly in need of such services. But the competition is great and the only way for your company to get an edge over the competition is by being more popular. Here are some marketing tips that can help you improve your moving business.

Make a Great Website

Having a clear and catchy website goes a long way. Today, every company needs to have one as it helps them not only advertise but also show the people all of the services you can offer them. Having a website is like having one enormous billboard, except it’s on the internet. But you also need to make your website so it can stick out among the sea of others similar like yours. Take for instance MovingDay, a well-known moving company from London, and their website. It is a clear example of how a good website should look. It is neat, user-friendly and mobile responsive. It is not cluttered and displays all the important information that potential customers might be interested in. These are all the properties that you should look for when designing your moving business website.

Use Social Media

Besides a website, social media accounts about your business are a very powerful marketing tool. All important business have social media accounts. Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, it is another powerful and favorable way to show potential customers what your business offer includes. It is also much easier for people the find and hire you. If you don’t know which platform to use, the best answer is use as much as you can. If you are present on more social media platforms there is a greater chance of somebody hiring you. Try with the most popular ones first. Also, you might get a expert to manage all of your social media accounts as well.

Offer Promotions and Discounts

What people love the most are discounts. A lot of stores put stocked up items on sale so they can remove them from their stocks. Many people are immediately attracted when they see certain items being on sale. Why pay a full price when you can pay half. Since this is how a consumer’s mind works, use it to your advantage and offer special offers and bonuses. You can advertise these offers on your site or social media accounts. Provide special moving days where the price is 20 or 30 percent off. Give coupons or allow people to unlock prices. This is all very favorable in attracting more customers.

Create an E-mail Newsletter

Using an E-mail newsletter is probably the simplest form of adverting. Some people see this as an ineffective tool, which is completely wrong. It has proven that it actually works and that it increases the number of customers that you will get. What is important about this is that it is easy to set. You won’t need so much time making nor maintaining it. But what you need to invest your time in is getting the tone of the newsletter right. Try and research this and make sure to be polite and warm but professional at the same time. It is in a way how people see your company without looking at it directly.

Determine Your Customer Base

Every marketing strategy starts by determining your customer base. Targeting a certain group of people is an effective way to increase your popularity and to draw more customers in. A lot of marketing strategies are based on this premise. So it has to be right since a lot of serious business are employing it.Targeting a specific group of people is a lot easier than trying to target all of them. Of course, everybody would like to have an all-around marketing strategy that affects all types of people, but it is virtually impossible to make. This is why if you determine the customers base early on and try to influence them, your moving business popularity will improve greatly. 

Whilst starting a business may seem like a great idea, it is important to note that you should be 100% sure in your decision before you decide to quit your job. However, if you choose to commit to opening a business, here are some ideas that might help you get started.

Food Businesses

The reason why the food empire is mentioned on our list first should be a no-brainer – people need food to survive. Not only that, but also the number of people who have specific diets is on the rise. For many reasons, more and more people are shifting to a vegan (or vegetarian) lifestyle. There reasons range from personal to environmental, but the fact is that people in the UK are eating less meat. However, there simply aren’t enough restaurants to cater to the people who are living a meat-free lifestyle. As a result, opening a food business that provides options for vegetarians or vegans might just be the thing that puts you above competition.

Online Flower Shop

While we might not need them for survival as we need food, opening your own online flower shop can still be a lucrative business. Flowers have always been very popular and the popularity doesn’t look like it’s going to fade any time soon. Likewise, buying and delivering flowers online is easier than ever. For example, the HandyFlowers online flower shop started as a small business, but grew rapidly and is now the leading site for flower delivery in London. Flowers are always going to be a classic, timeless gift, so opening your own flower business might be the best thing for you.

Eco-friendly Business

We’re all aware of the impact humans have made on Earth. Unfortunately, it’s not a very good one. Our oceans are filled with plastic, and climate change is more noticeable than ever before. Thankfully, many people became aware of this problem. In fact, we were introduced to the “Trash Tag Challenge” in 2019, where people would come together to clean up their communities. The green/eco-friendly trend is definitely on the rise. Many people are opting to use less plastic (or don’t use it at all), and switch to natural, recyclable materials. This could be the perfect opportunity to open an eco-friendly business. Creating reusable or recyclable products that can replace plastic and other toxic materials is not only great for the environment, but also for your wallet. If you want to do your part in saving the planet, this might be the way to go!

Coffee Shop

Let’s face it, everyone loves coffee. Whether people drink it for the taste or the quick pick-me-up is irrelevant. While coffee shops used to be for friendly hangouts or romantic dates, more and more people are visiting them for business meetings. On the same note, many freelancers who work from home like to change the scenery and go work in the local coffee shop. Opening your own coffee shop can be a very lucrative business in 2019. And yes, you can also serve tea. 

Online Clothing Store

Even though big brands retain the monopoly on clothing items, research shows that there is a steady increase in demand for online clothing stores. Essentially, there are two ways to go about this:

Low-priced, generic clothing – With inexpensive clothing, the goal is to reach the most people you can with fast fashion.

Designer clothing – For designer clothing, you can charge a higher price. However, if you are not an experienced designer, this might not be as good of an idea as it might sound. Simple and fast delivery, all from the comfort of the buyer’s home, makes online shopping a paradise compared to spending hours in overpriced stores in person.

Should You Open Your Own Business?

As previously mentioned, opening your own business is always going to be a risk. However, there are people who simply aren’t cut out for the 9-5 office job. In that case, starting a business is one of the best things you can do. Here are some signs that an office job might not be the optimal career path for you:

You Hate Being Told What to Do

If you get irritated when you are told to attend a meeting, or to work on a project you don’t like, this could be a warning sign. By “being your own boss”, you assign work to yourself, and you set your own priorities.

You Don’t Want to Live a Regimented Life

Maybe you’re a night owl, or you are chronically late to work – whatever the reason might be, some people simply don’t like going to (and leaving) work at the same time. Maybe it’s the routine that’s setting you off. In any case, if you don’t feel like you want to work the same hours every day for the rest of your life, it might be a good time to quit.

You Feel Trapped in the Office

Maybe the most important warning sign of all – you hate working in a cubicle. Some people simply need the space and freedom to do their own thing. Working in a small office can have a bad impact on your mental health and, if you need a breath of fresh air – literally and figuratively – you might want to get out of that job.

Starting the Business

Starting your own business can be scary, but it is also very exciting! Being your own boss comes with a lot of benefits and you will learn many new skills along the way. Whether you choose to open an online flower shop, a restaurant, or something completely different, you should always aim to pick a business idea you actually like. Find out what that is and everything should go smoothly afterward. Good luck!

Real businesses, real experiences.

Making the leap from stock imagery to original photography.

Fiona Burrage, Photographer  

Why do images matter? As a photographer and creative director, I spend a lot of time thinking about images. What do they say about the brand or person they represent? And how can we use them to change perceptions and maximise engagement?

Over the years I’ve noticed that businesses often rely too heavily on stock images that can feel outdated, impersonal and irrelevant. They don’t always understand that photography offers a major opportunity to shape how their brand is perceived.

Images are powerful. If you want to create hard-working brand communications that drive people to engage with your business, you need to use images that stand out, and stick. Hiring a photographer allows you to create bespoke brand imagery for your business.

A good photographer will work collaboratively with you in order to deliver the images most closely aligned with your vision and personality. By using documentary-style photography, for example, you show people what it’s like inside your business, as well as what happens when your products and services go out into the world.

What does this look like? I’d like to share two relevant client case studies that demonstrate this approach, pictured above.

The first, D Clinic, is a dental practice in Marylebone. Their stand-out, architecture-designed interiors were integral to their unique brand offer. Stock imagery could never have captured such a meticulous eye for detail and the serene atmosphere of the rooms.

The second example is Computer Service Centre, the leading IT company in the East of England. Following the industry standard, they could have easily reverted to stock imagery of generic computers. Yet, we worked together to create a series of reportage-style photographs that showcase the team doing what they do best.

The process All photographers work differently but here’s a bit about how my own process works:

During the briefing session, I talk to the client about the image applications they require and the platforms they use. I also ask the right questions to ensure the new imagery will present the most aspirational and engaging version of the brand. Following the shoot, I share a selection of images with the client and together we make a final shortlist, to be retouched and supplied as hi-res files. I provide a quote ahead of the shoot, so clients know the total cost before we get started.

And finally… Sometimes stock imagery might be the best solution in the limited time you have available. If you need to use it, think carefully about what you buy. Try to choose images that feel as modern, fresh and relevant as possible.

https://www.fionaburrage.com/ https://nor-folk.com/

So you have decided to open your own gardening business. But, it is not easy, especially with the given competition that we are witnessing these days in London. The British people sure love their gardening and there is a lot of other business that can pose a big threat to your own.

The important thing is that you shouldn’t give up on your business model. See to it as you have planned as there is no going back now. This type of business is attracting more and more entrepreneurs each year. The market is growing and there is a big need for it. So it actually makes sense owning this type of a business at this moment. Nevertheless, everyone needs a push. A small nudge if you will. Take advantage of all opportunities that are laid out for you so as to improve your gardening business. You will always receive the best tips from someone who is experienced in the field and who knows that they are doing. Handygardeners is one of the most popular gardening firms in London and here is how they view this problem and some advice that they have given us that you can implement in order to improve your current business idea.

Make Your Business Recognisable

Change the face of your business and make it more recognizable. If you have a good logo with a great marketing tactic, your business will become much more recognizable than before. This is a very important factor and can determine the future of your gardening business. As there are a lot of others you are competing against, being unique certainty helps. You can hire a professional designer who can improve your logo and make something entirely eye-catching for all the potential customers.

Make a Good Website

Today, it is important to have a website that will attract future customers. What a lot of you may not be familiar with is that a good website is responsible for more than half of your business. It does not matter how and where you market your business, having a good website with a clear and professional design goes a lot.

There are experts who can help you with this and will allow you to improve your booking score. If you do not have a website at all, it is like you do not exist in the eyes of the consumers.

Online Business Listings

After creating your website, the next step is to have your business listed on line. People who are specifically looking for gardening services will most likely search for it on the website which offers service recommendation. If you list your business there you will have a much greater chance of getting hired for a specific job. Google and Yelp and probably the most popular services which are currently available, but the more places you are listed at the better are the chances of you getting seen by potential customers.

Pro Bono Work

It is not always about money. Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take two steps forward. That’s why it does not hurt to do certain jobs for free. People will realize your potential and your future customers might hire because of that. Working for a renowned client with a lot of influence on the community will score you a lot of points which you can then turn into future customers in the long run. Think about more pro bono work in the future but choose your customers carefully.

Social Media Presence

Social media is very important today. Even if you do have your own site and have listed your business on all gardening sites, having a social media profile is very important. Social marketing has become a very powerful tool for large companies who use it to their advantage to make their products known all around the world.

 You can do the same and the best thing would be to form accounts on all the popular social media sites. You can even hire a person who can control and manage all of them, giving you a better social media presence. Many people are so used to the fact of using social media that they use it to search for various kinds of services. So will your gardening business get recognized in this manner.

Being Eco Friendly

Whatever your business model is and whatever line of work you are in, being eco-friendly is important nowadays. London is having a big problem with waste and not a lot of it is disposed properly and most of it does not get recycled at all. Being eco-friendly will get the attention of people who are trying to improve our world. Making your business safe for the environment will attract more customers who are of the same opinion.

Having a clean home or working area is a very important aspect of everyday life. Mainly, it makes the place where you spend most of your time look neat and comfortable to live in. Secondly, it is a lot healthier if the quarters you dwell the most are clean.

Whether we are talking about an office area, a commercial place or even your home, cleaning it thoroughly is necessary. This needs to be done on a regular basis and we don’t mean just taking out the trash, we do mean some thorough scrubbing. Your area of work sometimes needs a professional touch and you will not have always a lot of time to clean out your house because of work.

Enter professional cleaning services! There are a lot of benefits to hiring a service that will take care of all the hard stuff for you. Office areas will benefit from it as it will make your place of work look professional and acceptable for your clients.

Commercial areas often need a touch up as they deal with a lot of materials that can leave you with a lot of debris. Professional disposal may work better and you will not have to deal with it by yourself. Finally, if you are constantly busy with work and everyday life affairs, cleaning is probably the most difficult thing on your task list. Fortunately, the UK has some great companies that provide office cleaning services which can take care of your working space. You can even have them come by at designated hours so you can organize your other affairs.

These are just some of the benefits that professional cleaning service can offer you. But let’s look at it in a more profound way. We promise you that once you learn more about the advantages that professional cleaning offers you will not hesitate to hire one.

Professional Tools and Equipment

Every professional needs its tools. Professional cleaning services come with their own equipment that regular people do not own. This is one of the biggest advantages that they pose compared to regular cleaning that every one of us can do. This raises the cleaning level too much greater heights and will also get the job done much faster. You will immediately notice how different it is when a place is cleaned with special tools compared to regular cleaning appliances.

Most importantly, special tools and equipment can allow the cleaners to deal with some harder problems. If you have a certain situation which is impossible to deal by yourself, a cleaning company that comes with their own special equipment will resolve the issue in no time.

Environmentally Safe Cleaning Services

Most of the companies that are present in today’s market provide eco-friendly services. This is mostly because of the current laws. All of the companies involved in cleaning and removing waste need to conduct their business according to a certain code. Safe disposal is what makes the face of most cleaning companies. Additionally, most companies pride themselves in being able to remove the waste safely and dispose of it without damaging the environment.

If you are an environmentally-aware person and are trying to protect the environment, you should make sure that your waste is disposed of in such a way. No matter how the area you are personally, professionals can still do this type of disposal better than you. So no matter the waste you have and no matter the place that has to be cleaned, professional cleaning services will employ a safe removal method which will, in turn, be safe for the environment.

Trained Staff

The staff that you have working fro a professional cleaning company is specifically trained for that purpose. So let’s say that you are an amateur athlete. You train every day and can run fast and jump high. But one day you just so happen to have the opportunity to play against a professional athlete who has all the current technology of the world and professional training facilities available to him. You are fighting a losing battle.

The same thing goes with cleaning. No matter how well prepared you are and how importantly you view regular cleaning a professional will always be able to do a better job than you. This is particularly beneficial for office areas where you meet your clients. Having a professional cleaner arrange your office space will make the company look professional in the eyes of the clients.

At the 54 hour hackathon that is Sync The City, in 2017 Callum Coombes and his colleagues won with their brilliant concept to protect lone workers.  They won because of a solid business case, having spotted a gap in the market with clever use of technology.  It’s one thing winning a competition, however hard that may be, but another altogether to actually bring their concept to market.  The key question was is there a market in the gap they had identified?

Hear their journey here in this insightful podcast.  The lessons learnt, how they operate as a team, what they would do differently if starting again.

Crucially in less than two years, they have a fully functioning product and proposition – ready to launch to the world!

https://businessgrowthclub.net/sync-the-city-in-2017-to-full-product-launch-the-safepoint-story

What does the term Corporate and Social Responsibility (CS&R) mean to you? Chances are it is something that you associate with large scale companies who have budgets that enable them to make generous donations to good causes or are able to allow employees time off to do charitable work. However, there is plenty that even a sole trader can do to fulfil their own CS&R ambitions, which can be equally rewarding both for the business and for the recipients of their goodwill.

As a self employed florist and balloon decorator I deal with lots of requests on a regular basis asking for support in various forms. Having done a three year stint on our local school PTA I know only too well how difficult it is to generate support from local businesses to help boost often very small scale fundraising events. As a result, I choose to support certain local good causes in 3 different ways;

Raffle prizes with discount vouchers

With so many requests for raffle prizes, I now support a number of small scale events near me with a balloon arrangement and a discount voucher. A table of vouchers which may have considerable value on paper, can look quite uninspiring so by donating something visually attractive it can really encourage raffle ticket sales. It has even more impact when the charity gives permission for their logo to be replicated onto a balloon! The inclusion of a voucher also encourages the lucky recipient to redeem it against my products at a reduced rate.

Paid balloon décor with a charitable discount

For bigger events, larger scale décor is more appropriate but not so cost effective for me to just give away. Instead, I can apply a percentage discount which allows the charity to WOW their guests with some impactful décor at a more affordable price. Personalising balloons with the charity logo really brings the décor to life, and reinforces the branding message during the entire event.

  Free balloon décor

This year I have had the privilege of working with two amazing local good causes, whose stories have really touched me; littlelifts.

I first met Oa, who founded littlelifts, at a networking meeting where we took part in a comfort box packing event. Oa was diagnosed with primary breast cancer at just 28 years old. Having received lots of little packages and gifts during her treatment, Oa decided to give something back by creating comfort boxes containing items that help with the side effects of chemotherapy and other products that give a ‘little lift’ at a very difficult time. These boxes are now distributed to women at the start or during their treatment at various hospitals across East Anglia, and the boxes are funded as the result of money raised at various events.

At Easter, littlelifts ran a cupcake decorating workshop. I donated two balloon bouquets (including the littlelifts logo) and a stuffed rabbit raffle prize which drew a lot of attention! This event raised £500 which is enough to support 12 women facing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

To find out more about littlelifts and how you can support them, please go to www.littlelifts.org.uk

The other good cause I have chosen to support is Sunshine and Rainbows, a not for profit scheme run by local photographer Shellie Wall. Shellie offers free photography sessions for families with a child who has a life limiting or life threatening condition, and some local businesses contribute something towards a gift box that the family receive. I donate a personalised helium balloon which Shellie uses as part of the photoshoot, and whilst donating a single balloon is a small gesture for me, the impact on the children (who have all adored their balloons) is far, far greater. The smiles on their faces are priceless and melt my heart, and the photos themselves become absolutely priceless to the whole family if things take a turn for the very worst.

If you can donate anything to help Shellie keep this truly wonderful service going, please head to https://shelliewallphotography.co.uk/sunshine-rainbows/

Being able to give back is very important to me, and I truly believe that if all businesses could give a little something to a local cause, we could soon make an amazingly positive impact in our local communities!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, why not have a look through some of my other Blogs!

Claire Carney is an independent florist, a Certified Balloon Artist and NABAS Approved Balloon Décor Instructor based near Norwich, Norfolk, UK.

If you are among the business owners who are worried about the strategies that can help your business get well-known enough that people know about your product, you do not need to worry anymore. There is a technique through which a lot of small businesses have got an advertising benefit as well.

That is a technique known as pay per click advertising. There are a lot of companies in the business world that utilise this form of marketing. If you look on Gogle alone and simply search for ‘specialist PPC agency in London‘ you will find countless companies. There are a lot of benefits of a PPC agency. 

PPC boosts the traffic on your website

If you have spent a lot of time creating an attractive and user-friendly website, but no one knows about it, what benefits are you getting out of it?

It is always better to use the techniques employed by a PPC agency, and that is that the paid advertisement of your company would appear on the very first page that you open on the search engine and that is how people will get to know about your website. The more the traffic is on your website, the greater the chances that someone will purchase the product that you offer. 

You only pay for clicks

PPC is a cost-effective marketing technique as you do not have to pay for anything unless someone clicks on the ad. When someone does so, it means that the ad is getting a degree of recognition and therefore so is your company.

Not difficult to produce

It is not difficult to have a PPC ad per se. You can make it yourself or even hire a professional to make it. And with the time you can have that ad running, that too is not a lot of time.

You can analyse the performance in real-time

With other marketing strategies, the results are unknown until the marketing strategies are applied and the work has been ongoing for some time. However, in the case of PPC advertising, everything happens and runs in real-time, from the number of clicks to all other real-time data. That is better for a small company so that one can easily analyse how the company is performing and if they need to improve their methods in advertising or to get people as their loyal customers.

A warrant control is a legal document that is given by the court if you have any debt and it is the type of document that allows the agents of warrant control to have a check at your place, and they are allowed to get control over the things you own. Whatever they seize will typically be sold at auction to collect the debt that is required from you. It is necessary that the warrant of control is given by the court, and the court has the right to file such warrants against you if you have not paid a fine charged within the country of the court judgment.

What are Bailiffs?

Bailiffs are also known as enforcement agents, who are hired by the court and may be allowed to enter your home if do not pay your debts on time. The court will first send you a notice to pay your debt within a set period of days or weeks and if you do not clear the charge fined on you then the bailiffs may be allowed to enter your house, and may well be allowed by the court to take certain posessions from your place without your express permission.

Can a Warrant of Control be Stopped?

It is advisable to get rid of the CCJ payment as soon as possible to avoid getting into the situations which may lead to the issuing of a warrant of control, but if you are late then you can still get rid of this warrant by applying for the necessary paperwork from the court. This paperwork will likely help you to get rid of this warrant as soon as possible.

What Bailiffs Can and Cannot Take

There are certain rules under which the bailiffs are required to work:

What Can Bailiffs Seize?

• Luxury items including TVs, vehicles, bicycles
• Any money, cheques, securities, stocks, offers, and pawn tickets that have a place with you
• Vehicle claimed by you and kept at your home, business or open interstate

What Can Bailiffs Not Seize?

• Another person’s assets
• Things that are required for your work or belongs to your workplace
• Things that are the basic requirements for your essential needs such as garments/cooker/furniture
• Anything that is owned by a child

If you have any further queries regarding bailiffs or the warrant of control, you can simply view this website for more information.

Health and safety policy cannot be effective without good communication and trust between lone workers and their employers. What tools are available to help employers and staff take responsibility for their health and safety, and how you can you build a better safety culture in your organisation? Find out more here: How can employers and lone workers share responsibility for health and safety?

Being a lone worker can be fulfilling and exciting, especially for self starters who enjoy working without close supervision. Lone workers have legal rights to receive adequate protection so they can operate safely. Find out what responsibilities your employer has to you as a lone worker, and what you can do to be a safer lone working employee here: What are my health and safety rights and responsibilities as a lone worker?

Employers are morally and legally responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all their employees, especially those that work alone. In this article Safepoint explores how organisations employing lone workers can better protect their staff and company, and what some of the ramifications are if they get things wrong. Read more here: How should employers protect lone workers – and what are their liabilities?